Mining sector wants action, not promises, says Calibre CFO

As Canada’s premiers tout a new national framework to speed up approvals for major resource and infrastructure projects, Calibre Mining chief financial officer Daniella Dimitrov says the mining sector remains unconvinced.

Speaking to MINING.COM at THE Mining Investment Event in Quebec City, Dimitrov welcomed federal and provincial commitments to shorten permitting timelines, but said governments need to move from words to action.

For Dimitrov, Canada’s fragmented approach and lack of detail are still major obstacles.

“I feel sometimes we’ve got 13 countries, not one,” she said. “We need to lay out performance metrics and that we can hold governments accountable, and we need execution.”

At a recent summit in Saskatoon, Prime Minister Mark Carney and all 13 premiers agreed to identify projects of “national interest” and streamline approval processes. Carney has promised legislation to reduce federal permitting from five years to two.

Dimitrov highlighted that the meeting ended without naming any specific projects and left the criteria to elect them unclear.

“There were no projects announced following that meeting. The criteria has some ambiguity. I’m not sure exactly what it means to have to determine that a project can be successfully executed—whether that’s capital, whether that is certain economics, whether that’s having the appropriate supply chain.”

She added that while Ontario and the federal government have announced steps to accelerate permitting, not all changes have been well received.

“There is concern around the speed and the urgency that it might come at the risk of reducing consultation or not having appropriate consultation.”

A lawyer by trade, Dimitrov stressed that meaningful engagement is key to building support for permitting reform. She also underscored the urgent need for clarity, especially as Canada aims to boost infrastructure investment in response to trade tensions with the United States. The mining industry, she said, needs assurance that policy ambitions will be matched by concrete timelines, and certainty for investors.

“Capital is sitting on the sidelines and saying, well, how do I get the certainty that ultimately we can achieve the permitting and that we can achieve the consent agreements and the participation that’s needed in order for me to actually invest that capital?”

Despite her concerns, Dimitrov remains optimistic about the industry’s future. Her own path reflects the sector’s evolving complexity and gives her a clear view of what’s at stake. She began her career as an investment banker at Sprott before transitioning into legal leadership as general counsel for the Dundee Group of companies. 

She later moved into operations, overseeing acquisitions as director of integration, and later entered the mining sector through roles in corporate development and regulatory governance.